Neckties are becoming more and more expensive and there exists a need for an unobtrusive necktie protector to be used even during elegant dining occasions. The necktie protector must be easy to use so that the user can nonchalantly put it in place and remove it. It should be disposable and therefore made of inexpensive materials and by an inexpensive process. Most importantly, since it will be provided in fancy public restaurants (as napkins are now provided) it must have no potential for injuring the user either by having sharp edges or pins or by parts that may fall free into the user's food.
The basic problem of protecting the necktie has been addressed over and over. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,131,023; 2,423,581; 2,714,719; 2,747,192; 2,915,757; 3,085,247; 3,618,138; 3,714,669; 3,763,496; and 3,833,937. Each and every device disclosed in the prior art patents noted above has a major drawback: it requires either snaps, hooks, flat strips of pliable metal, soft wire, or adhesive contacts to hold the protector in place. These devices greatly increase the cost of manufacture and often provide a potential for danger to the user.